The Yoruba and The Obatala ShrinesThe Yoruba People of Southwest Nigeria It is often written that the Yoruba people of Southwest Nigeria are one of the most interesting and important peoples of Africa and that no African group has had greater influence on New World culture.This influence persists dramatically as Yoruba religious tradition, remains the world's most prevalent religion of African origin, increasingly practiced in slightly varying forms throughout South America, the Caribbean, the United States of America and Europe.

While many experts say that the Yoruba migrated to what is now Nigeria (where they founded the holy city of Ile-Ife) in approximately seven hundred AD, other authorities trace their origins as far back as one thousand BC in the Sudan. But on the other hand, traditional Yoruba religious mythology holds that in primordial times a deity known as Obatala descended from Heaven to a water laden earth, spread a handful of soil that would form the continents, and settled onto a spot that would later be called Ile-Ife. Obeying his mandate from God himself, Obatala molded from clay the very first human beings at that very place. Following his return to heaven, Obatala's immediate descendants began

to maintain a shrine for the very structure in which they themselves were created from-clay, and where God, first gave men and women his greatest gift, the breath of life. Thereafter, members of the family were (and still are) installed as priests, responsible for remembering the intricate and poetic commemorative ceremonies of their ancestor, Obatala, Father of Mankind, the god of creation, perfection, purity, piety, and peace. Some say that the Yoruba people, indeed human existence itself, started in this building in a lowly quarter of Ile-Ife, the spiritual center of the Yoruba World. Today, the tradition of this largely unknown caste of priests, said to be the direct descendants of Obatala, continues. Overlooked and even forgotten by their neighbors who desperately search for relevance in the "modern world", the devotees of Obatala dutifully carry out highly poetic rituals that, in their words, maintain the sacrament of creation, on earth. The Obatala Shrine in Ile-Ife can easily be seen as one of the most significant monuments to African civilization and thought, comparable to Jerusalem or Mt Olympus in the world's cultural history.The present keepers of the shrine are elderly members, and considers it their inherited duty to maintain the rituals of the Father of Mankind. They are dedicated. Their philosophical understanding is as thorough and as sophisticated as any other of the world's classical sources of wisdom. They are largely unaware of their potential significance to the rest of the world. They are like monks in the most literal sense. They quietly and humbly labor in the name of God.

More On The Yoruba People

The Yoruba are one of THE LARGEST ethnic groups in Sub-

Saharan Africa and one of the most important owing to the impact their art, culture and religion has had not only on Africa, but on the world as a whole. They are an ancient people with roots that date as far back as one 1500 BCE and were the rulers of the great Oyo kingdom, a West African empire that stretched from Southwest Nigeria to Zaire and Sudan. From the city of Ile-Ife a great cultural and philosophical tradition began which has fascinated historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, artists, and other students of Africa till this very day. In modern times they provided the political leadership that stroked the fires of Nigerian nationalism during the era of European colonization. The Yoruba traditions of bronze casting and wood sculpture, theatre, and other art forms date back over a thousand years and prove the sophistication of the African in arts and crafts. Traditional Yoruba religion is based on the worship of a supreme deity called Olodumare and various deities known as the Orisa. Traditional Yoruba religion is the root religion of Candomble in Brazil, Santeria in Cuba, and Yoruba religious practices in the African-American community in the United States of America. The oral history of the Yoruba describes an origin myth, which tells of God lowering a chain at Ile-Ife, down which came Oduduwa, the ancestor of all people, bringing with him a cock, some earth, and a palm kernel. The earth was thrown into the water, the cocked scratched it to become land, and the kernel grew into a tree with sixteen limbs, representing the original sixteen kingdoms. The empire of Oyo arose at the end of the 15th century aided by Portuguese guns. Expansion of the kingdom is associated with the acquisition of the horse. At the end of the 18th century civil war broke out at Oyo, the rebels called for assistance to the Fulani, but

the latter ended up conquering all of Oyo by the 1830s. The Fulani invasion pushed many Yoruba to the south where the towns of Ibadan and Abeokuta were founded. In the late 1880s, with the help of a British mediator, a treaty was signed between the various warring factions. Yorubaland was officially colonized by the British in 1901, but a system of indirect rule was established that mimicked the structure of Yoruba governance. The arts of the Yoruba are as numerous as their deities, and many objects are placed on shrines to honor the gods and the ancestors. Beautiful sculpture abounds in wood and brass and the occasional terracotta. Varied masking traditions have resulted in a great diversity of mask forms. Additional important arts include pottery, weaving, beadworking and metalsmithing. Historically, the Yoruba were primarily farmers, growing cocoa and yams as cash crops. These are planted in a threeyear rotational system, alternating with cassava and a year of diverse crops including maize, peanuts, cotton, and beans. At the end of this three-year cycle the land is left fallow, sometimes for seven years. It is estimated that at one time nearly 70 percent of people participated in agriculture and ten percent each working as crafts people and traders within the towns. Yorubaland is characterized by numerous densely populated urban centers with surrounding fields for farming. The centralization of wealth within cities allowed for the development of a complex market economy which encouraged extensive patronage of the arts. The political and social systems vary greatly in different regions, and allegiance is uniformly paid to the large urban center in the area, rather than to a singular centralized authority. Each town has a leader (Oba), who may achieve his position in several different ways including inheritance,

gaining the position through participation in title associations, or being personally selected by an Oba already in power. Every Oba, however, is considered to be a direct descendant of the founding Oba in each city. A council of chiefs usually assists the Oba in his decisions. Title associations, such as the ogboni, play an important role in assigning and balancing power within the cities. The Yoruba have laid claim to at least 401 deities; in truth, however, there are more than these. The complexity of their cosmology has led Western scholars to compare them to the Ancient Greeks and their impressive pantheon. Yoruba deities are known as Orisha, and The High God is Olorun. No organized priesthoods or shrines exist in honor of Olorun, but his spirit is invoked to ask for blessings and to confer thanks. The Yoruba people believe that when they die and pass through the veil of this realm to the next, they enter the realm of the ancestors where they still have influence on earth. To this day, annual homage is paid to the grave sites of ones' forbears, and lineage heads are responsible for honoring all deceased members of the lineage through a yearly sacrifice. Maskers (or egungun) appear at funerals and are believed to embody the spirit of the deceased person. Other important orishas include Eshu, the trickster; Shango, the god of thunder; and Ogun, the god of iron and modern technology. The Yoruba People, of whom there are more than twenty-five million, now occupy the southwestern corner of Nigeria along the Dahomey border and extends into Dahomey itself. To the east and north the Yoruba culture reaches its approximate limits in the region of the Niger River. However ancestral cultures directly related to the Yoruba once flourished well north of the Niger.

Portuguese explorers "discovered" the Yoruba cities and kingdoms in the fifteenth century, but cities such as Ife and Benin, among others, had been standing at their present sites for at least five hundred years before the European arrival. Archeological evidence indicates that a technologically and artistically advanced, proto-Yoruba (Nok), were living somewhat north of the Niger in the first millennium B.C.E., and they were then already working with iron ore and other metals.

The theology of the Ifa states that the creation of humankind arose in the sacred city of Ile Ife where Oduduwa created dry land from water. Much later on an unknown number of Africans migrated from Mecca to Ile Ife. At this point the Eastern Africans and Western Africans began to synergize.

Ife was the first of all Yoruba cities. Oyo and Benin came later and grew and expanded as a consequence of their strategic locations at a time when trading became prosperous. Ife, unlike Benin and Oyo, never developed onto a true kingdom. But though it remained a city-state it had paramount importance to Yoruba's as the original sacred city and the dispenser of basic religious thought.

Until relatively recent times the Yoruba's did not consider themselves a single people, but rather as citizens of Oyo, Benin, Yagba and other cities, regions or kingdoms. These cities regarded Lagos and Owo, for example, as foreign neighboors, and the Yoruba kingdoms warred not only against the Dahomeans but also against each other. The name Yoruba was applied to all these linguistically and

culturally related peoples by their northern neighbors, the Hausas.

It is in the old Yoruba cities were urban centers with surrounding farmlands that extended outward as much as a dozen miles or more were typically found. Both Benin and Oyo are said to have been founded by Ife rulers or descendants thereof. Benin derived its knowledge of brass casting directly from Ife, and the religious system of divining called Ifa spread from Ife not only throughout the Yoruba country but to other West African cultures as well. A common Yoruba belief system dominated the region from the Niger, where it flows in an easterly direction, all the way to the Gulf of Guinea in the south.

It is no accident that the Yoruba cultural influence spread across the Atlantic to the Americas. Rather Unfortunately, we are taught that european slave hunters violently captured and marched untold millions of Africans to their demise on over crowded slave ships bound for the Americas. Slave wars launched by the kingdom of Dahomey against some of the Yoruba kingdoms, and slave wars between the Yoruba's themselves made war casualty Africans available for transportation to the Americas. Yoruba slaves were sent to British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the New World, and in a number of these places Yourba traditions survived strongly. In Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad, Yoruba religious rites, beliefs, music and myths is evident even at this late day. In Haiti the Yoruba's were generally called Anagos. Afro-Haitian religious activities give Yoruba rites and beliefs an honored place, and the pantheon includes numerous deities of Yoruba origin. In Brazil, Yoruba

religious activities are called Anago or Shango, and in Cuba they are designated Lucumi.

Slavery in the United States was quite different from other colonized regions. In the U.S. chattel type slavery was the means where the language and culture was, sadly enough, whipped and beat out of the African captives. In the U.S. throughout the Diaspora, the African American generally received the death penalty for practicing his or her birthright. Today the religion has undergone a phenomenal surge in popularity and interest. Santeria, today's societal adaptation of Yoruba and Ifa with Catholicism, came to the states first with Puerto Ricans in the forties and fifties and then with the flood of Cuban refugees in the sixties. In all of these places mentioned above, the pantheon of major Yoruba deities has survived virtually intact, along with a complex of rites, beliefs, music, dances and myths of the original Yoruba origin. In resent years, availability of attainable air travel has enabled African Americans to go back to the essence from which this great culture derived (Africa) and gather the information needed to teach and assist others. Places like Oyotunji village in Beaufort South Carolina, DOYA (Descendants of the Yoruba in America) foundation in Cleveland OH, Ile Ori Ifa Temple in Atlanta GA, and African Paridise in Grffin GA where Yoruba culture and religion is still practiced, are just a few of many locations that offer a place to reclaim the religion of self awarness, inner strength, inner peace and unlimited power for our evolution.

The OrishaToday, the Orishna is known as practitioners of Santeria or La Regla Lucumi. This is an Afro-Cuban religion originating in West Africa in what is now Nigeria and Benin, hailing from the traditional culture and worldview of the people now known as the Yoruba. The slave trade brought many of these people to the shores of Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad and Puerto Rico among others. Along with the bodies being brought over for sale into a life of misery, something else was being brought along. Their souls, and their religious practice. First of all we need to analyze what this practice really is. Santeria is not a 'primitive' religion. On the contrary, the Yorubas were and are a very civilized people with a rich culture and deep sense of ethics. The Yoruba believe in one god known as Olorun or Olodumare. Olorun is the source of ash, or the spiritual energy that makes up the universe, all life and all things material. Olorun interacts with the world and humankind through emissaries. These emissaries are called orishas. The orishas rule over every force of nature and every aspect of human life. They are approachable and can be counted on to come to the aid of their followers, guiding one to a better life materially, as well as spiritually. Communication between Orishas and humankind is accomplished through ritual, prayer, divination and eb or offerings (which includes sacrifice). These sacrifices, or Eb are among one of the many aspects of the duties performed by the Yoruba Priests. Animal Sacrifice is just a small part of the much larger definition of eb (sacrifice or offering) in the religion. There are many categories of eb. There are

offerings such as addim which can include candles, fruits, candy, or any number of items or actions that may be appreciated by the deities or orishas in the religion. In divination, the orishas may ask for a favorite fruit or dish, or they may call for the person to heed advice given. At times they may ask that a person give up drinking or other practices that are unwise for that individual. They may request a person to wear certain jewelry, receive initiations or any number of other things. Or they may request an animal, usually a chicken or a dove, so the orisha will come to that person's aid. As a rule, animal sacrifice is called for only in major situations such as sickness or serious misfortune (i.e - life threatenting illness). Animals are also offered when a new priest is consecrated in service of her or his orisha during the birthing process of initiation. In this culture, we are taught that, at every birth there is blood. In our modern society we have become separated from the concept of death. Even our dead are embalmed and made up to appear living. When we purchase meat to eat or leather to wear it is pre-processed to remove the shopper from the fact that a life was taken in order that another may live. Meat wrapped in plastic with a little paper towel to soak up any blood that might remind the buyer of the fact of the animal's death. The buyer is also kept unaware of the circumstances surrounding the poor animals life and, of course, its death. When animals are killed in the slaughterhouse there is little respect or regard for that animal, the only matter of importance being that the animals are killed cheaply and in great quantity to supply an ever growing market. In other words, these animals too are sacrificed, though the only deity revered here is GREED. We should also take into account that the poultry industry alone kills more animals in one day than ANY religion has sacrificed worldwide in the last seven hundred years!

On the other hand, when an animal is sacrificed in La Regla Lucum it is first and foremost done with respect. respect for the orisha being offered this life and respect for the little bird whose life is taken in order that we may live better. The animal must be well cared for because it is the property of the orisha. In fact, sometimes the orisha will state that the animal must not die but live with the person, and the orisha expects that animal to be well cared for and pampered as theirs. At the beginning of the sacrifice, when the animal is brought forward, there is a song and action that is performed in acknowledgement that one day our lives will be taken suddenly in much the same way as the animals. In this way, the religion differs very little from the beliefs of the Native American Indians. Here there is a respect for all life, and a respect for the death that must come to all, including ourselves. Afterwards, if the animal wasn't used to cleanse a person of illness or misfortune, it is eaten by all the participants. If, on the other hand, it was used for a cleansing, the animal is taken to the place requested by the orisha to complete the offering. These animals cannot be eaten as we would be eating the sickness or misfortune that was removed from that person. Whether the eb is a simple apple or a little chicken, it should always be offered with both hands and an open heart. Song, rhythms, and trance possession are also means with which there is interaction with the orishas and how we are able to affect our day to day lives so that they we may lead deeper and more meaningful lives during our stay in this world.

In the New World the orishas and much of the religion was

hidden behind a facade of Catholicism with the orishas themselves represented by various saints. The slaveowners would then say "look at how pious this slave is. She spends all of her time worshipping Saint Barbara." Unbeknownst to them, she would actually be praying to Shang, the Lord of Lightning, fire and the dance, perhaps even praying for deliverance from that very slaveowner. This is how the religion came to be known as Santeria. The memory of this period of history is also why many in the religion regard the term Santeria as a perjorative and ultimately, exceedingly derogatory. The traditions of Santeria are fiercely preserved and full knowledge of the rites, songs, and language are prerequisites to any deep involvement in the religion. Initiates must follow a strict regimen and are answerable to Olorun and the orishas for their actions. As a person passes through each initiation in the tradition, this knowledge deepens and their abilities and responsibilities grow accordingly. In fact, during the first year of their initiation into the priesthood, the initiate or Iyaw or 'bride' of the orisha must dress in white for an entire year. The iyawo must not look into a mirror, touch anyone or allow themselves to be touched, and they may not wear makeup, or go out at night for this year. La Santeria is famous for its 'magic'. This magic is based on a knowledge of the mysteries or orishas and how to interact with them to better our lives and the lives of those who come to us for the aid of the orishas. We in this faith live under the premise that this world is a magical one. This knowledge seems 'supernatural' only to those who don't understand it, but it really is quite natural. Although the people were yanked away from their homes in Africa and enslaved in the New World, the orishas, the

religion and its power could never be chained down and the religion survives now. Not as an anachronism, but ever growing even now in such places as France and the Netherlands.

The 45 Paths of ObatalaFIRST PATH: OBATALA ORISHA AYE

Here we find the purest and most mystical aspect of Obatala. S/he is feminine and born of the sea. S/he is represented by means of a large shell, named Okinkonko. In Santeria this path is tied to the Orisha Ochun. The necklace for its adoration is fashioned with twenty-five stones (?) the color of egg yolk and (to make the connection?) you sacrifice white doves.

SECOND PATH: OBATALA ORISHANLA

Is imagined as a trembling old woman who wants to be

covered with a white sheet. She protects you from traps and has large hands She eats cocoa butter. Her necklace is made with egg-yolk yellow and ivory. In Santeria she is syncretized with St. Anne.

THIRD PATH: OBATALA IGBA IBO

Represents divine thought and is symbolized by the eye of Divine Providence. It cannot be seen, and those who manage to see it are left blind. It is symbolized by an old person with wrinkles and white hair.

FOURTH PATH: OBATALA OBA LUFON

Represents the sun and is identified with Jesus of Nazareth. It was he who gave man speech and taught him proper ways of sexual practice(?). When you want to request something from him, you must place sixteen parrot feathers on your head. It was he who taught man to weave with

needles. He is the inventor of carpentry and is the protector of mothers.

FIFTH PATH: OBATALA OCHA GRINAN

He is the messenger of Olofi. He raises the mountains from the low places. (Sube y baja la montana)? Represented by the Crucified Christ. He is also considered a soldier (guerrero) and he taught to Orula the secrets of (de pelar el name).

SIXTH PATH: OBATALA ACHO

His presence stimulates the dance and directs the rhythms. He is a soldier and wears a red waistband.

SEVENTH PATH: OBATALA OBA MORO

Represented by an old person and represents the pain and sacrifice necessary to reach one's goals. Is represented by a crown of

thorns.

EIGHTH PATH: OBATALA EFUN YOBI

In the past he was worshipped in ways which are forgotten today. He is represented by San Jose de la Montana.

NINTH PATH: OBATALA YEKU YEKU

The protector of health, syncretized with the Holy Trinity. Represents patience and humility. Its necklace is made of white beads with balls of mother of pearl and ivory.

TENTH PATH: OBATALA AYAGGUNA

Is male and represented by an intrepid, aggressive warrior. Uses a cane and is most fine and elegant. His necklace is made with eight red beads and sixteen white. Is syncretized with Jesus Christ in his 33rd year. He is clothed in white and carries a sword.

ELEVENTH PATH: OBATALA ALAGUEMA

Owns the ceiba and is tied to visions, and for that reason is tied to Santa Lucia and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Is related to friendship and protection. Is also a messenger of Olofi; takes a silver chain with nine doves and dresses in red and white.

TWELFTH PATH: OBATALA TALABI

Is female and identified with indifference. Protects children and is syncretized with Saint Rita de Casia.

THIRTEENTH PATH: OBATALA ONDO

Is female and a virgin. Lives in the rocky places bordering the sea. Protects boats arriving at port.

FOURTEENTH PATH: OBATALA AYALUA

Functions as the exterminator. Lives in the center of the sea and has secrets which no man knows.

FIFTEENTH PATH: OBATALA OKEILU

Lives in high places and grants houses to the (desposeidos).

SIXTEENTH PATH: OBATALA OLUFON

Protector of speech and oratory. Is old and calm (apacible) and must have much light. Is symbolized by a crown of white stones with sixteen parrot feathers.

SEVENTEENTH PATH: OBATALA AGUINYAN

Is very little known, directs the contacts of the Orishas with the world

EIGHTEENTH PATH: OBATALA OBALABI

Is female and is the one in charge of announcements. S/he is attracted by striking a silver-plated triangle.

NINETEENTH PATH: OBATALA ELEFURO

S/he is the protector of the oil. Is illuminated with oil lamps and lives behind a curtain.

TWENTIETH PATH: OBATALA ORISHA YEYE

Protector of femininity and represented by a beautiful woman. She wears a crown with sixteen shells and carries a bow and arrow. She lives in the deserts and is owner of monkeys.

TWENTY-FIRST PATH: OBATALA OBON

Is in charge of the souls of the departed. Has the original secrets of Egypt. Is given a small metal chest, where it hides a secret golden scarab. It is near the heads of those who are dying.

TWENTY-SECOND PATH: OBATALA OBANLA

Is female and lights the pathways. She is given a crown, a silver cane and a sun with sixteen rays.

TWENTY-THIRD PATH: OBATALA AYCALAMBO

Represents a drunkard. Lives in a tinaja (?) covered with shells

TWENTY-FOURTH PATH: OBATALA ORISCHA IWIN

Protects the door of Obatala's palace, protects potters.

TWENTY-FIFTH PATH: OBATALA YEMMU

The Mother. Their (?) necklaces are made of coral and fourteen clear and blue crystals, with a key and an anchor. Is identified with the Immaculate Conception.

TWENTY-SIXTH PATH: OBATALA AGGUIDAI

The messenger who takes petitions to Obatala. Necklace is white with sections of colors.

TWENTY-SEVENTH PATH: OBATALA EYUARO

An unalterable and immovable Saint. Stimulates consent or (mimosidad)

TWENTY-EIGHTH PATH: OBATALA AYENOLU

Stimulates calm. Takes a necklace of sixteen jet beads and is pledged to him with eight candles (? -- Lleva collar de dieciseis azabaches y se le prenden ocho velas). Wears handkerchiefs of many colors.

TWENTY-NINTH PATH: OBATALA ABANY

Protector of the blind. Lives in the water and takes a (botecito) of tin.

THIRTIETH PATH: OBATALA EURURU

The advisor of young people. Symbolized by a silver cane upon which is placed a cross, a horse, a pen, a book, all adorned with palm leaves.

THIRTY-FIRST PATH: OBATALA OSHEREILBO

Is male and female, and is adorned with many shells and parrot feathers.

THIRTY-SECOND PATH: OBATALA OYE LADE

Is a hunter, carries (un tarro de venado), ivory, and a carved figure of a woman in wood.

THIRTY-THIRD PATH: OBATALA OYU ALUEKO

Is a diviner.

THIRTY-FOURTH PATH: OBATALA EDEGU

Is king of the earth. Represented by a mounted lead doll (a tin soldier on a horse?) carrying sixteen seashells.

THIRTY-FIFTH PATH: OBATALA BIBI NIKE

Is represented by an enormously large cyclops and represents the fight for difficult things. Manifests with a sword, a lance and a shield.

THIRTY-SIXTH PATH: OBATALA EKANIKE

Guardian of the town, an expert warrior and ancient (tembloroso). Wears red and white. You put a horn full of gunpowder outside its sopera.

THIRTY-SEVENTH PATH: OBATALA OLOYU OKUNI

Ruler over human eyes. Carries arrows; its crown is decorated with four parrot feathers.

THIRTY-EIGHTH PATH: OBATALA OCHA ORULU

The king of metals, his sopera is wrapped with a silver chain

THIRTY-NINTH PATH: OBATALA ALABALACHE

Represents the oracles of Obatala and knows the past, present and future. Guide to the seashells.

FORTIETH PATH: OBATALA ANA SUARE

Magnificent in suffering (? Es sufrido y soberbio). Represented by two machetes, two lances, two whips, one crown, and one crucifix.

FORTY-FIRST PATH: OBATALA OCHALUFON

The deity who taught man how to speak, takes a silver tongue, a cane and rules over bees.

FORTY-SECOND PATH: OBATALA OGAN

Guards Obatala's back and is always near the sopresa. His necklace has sixteen (corojos?) and is washed with green coconuts.

FORTY-THIRD PATH: OBATALA AIRANIKE

Warrior and companion of (arcoiris?). It goes mounted on a horse and its tools are made of silver.

FORTY-FOURTH PATH: OBATALA EKUNDIRE

He rides a tiger and in his hand he has a sword

FORTY-FIFTH PATH: OBATALA OBRALA

He is young and always lives near a (mata de peregun). Rides a wooden snail which lives in a small house.

ncounter with Destiny

Ifa and Merindilogn (Los Caracoles) Consultations of DivinationDivination is at the core of the religion. Virtually everything done in the religion revolves around some form of divination. It is through divination that we find out what initiations, cleansings or offerings a person needs. Used regularly, the incorportation of divination in the day to day lives leads one to receive guidance and advice from Ifa and the Orishas. In this way life may be lead in alignment with the power of the Orishas, of Olodumare (god) and with or, or destiny. The purpose of Ifa and Merindilogn divination is to help the client align themselves with their destiny (or ) and with the will of the Orishas. It should be noted that divination in this religion is not 'fortune-telling'. Although the consultations will often delve into a person's past, present and future, and many questions regarding the client's life will be answered, there is a very different purpose involved. Therefore, when a person comes to be seen with Ifa or with Eleggu's shells, they are learning how they can bring their lives into harmony with themselves as well as with the forces of the world that surrounds them. It is Ifa and the Orishas who speak and advise as to what is the best path for the visitor to follow in order to better their lives. This can only be accomplished by properly trained Babalawos or Olorishas (Santeros) and gives the whole event a very different meaning and depth. You may be asking yourself now, "What Happens During a 'Consulta'?"

First, the Priestess or Priest will be saying a number of prayers to Olodumare, to the Eggun and to the Orishas asking their permission to do the work and asking them to

speak about the situations affecting the life of the person coming to be seen.Then the Opele or the caracoles will be cast in order to get the essential Odu or 'sign' that accompanies that person. This Odu speaks of the person's life, the road they are on, how they came to be on that road, and where the path leads. But first we will need to find out the particular path of this sign to further pinpoint the client's situation. Several questions are asked starting with whether the Odu comes with Ir (blessings) or with ossogbo (some form of negativity). During this time various items called Ibo will be given to the client. The person is asked to shake and separate the items, one in each hand. The signs that come up tell us which hand to ask for. This is done so that the person's personal ash or spiritual energy is brought into the equation. In this way the one divining may ascertain what kind of blessing or negativity is accompanying the person and where it comes from, etc. At this point the acting priest or priestess will begin to tell the client what advice Ifa or Eleggu has for them. Finally, the knowledge of what ceremonies or work that is needed in order to ensure the Ir (blessings) or to defend the client from any negativity or Osogbo that might be putting the client out of harmony. Ifa Divination The highest form of divination in the religion is Ifa, which is the exclusive domain of Orunmila and his specially trained priests known as Babalawos or 'Fathers of the Secrets.' who are the High Priests in our religion. Orunmila or Orula for short is the Orisha of wisdom and knowledge and is considered the secretary of Olodumare (God) and Eleri Ipin or 'Witness to Destiny in Creation. The title Eleri Ipin refers to the fact that Orula was the only Orisha allowed to witness the act of creation as well as his place as the only witness allowed to be present when we choosing our destinies at the

feet of Olodumare before coming to this world. This is why it is necessary to go to Ifa for truly major issues such as determining the identity of a person's tutelary Orisha. The Babalawo has at his command two tools of divination: The ocuele or opele and the opon Ifa or 'Table of Ifa'. The ocuele, an instrument consisting of 8 disks connected by a chain, is used for day to day consultations and is considered the wife of Orunmila. After the appropriate prayers are said, the ocuele is thrown to the mat and the position of the eight disks are read by the Babalawo. The Table of Ifa is usually reserved for truly deep divination such as ascertaining the Letter or Sign that governs the year, a person's sign for life during the process of initiation, or determining who a client's personal Orisha 'parent' is. Divining with the Table of Ifa is much more involved and time consuming, and includes the use of the ikins or consecrated palm kernel nuts sacred to Orunmila. These are held in one hand, which the Babalawo tries to grasp with his other hand all at once, and counts the remaining ikins left until either one or two remain, then making the appropriate single or double mark in the iyef covering the Table of Ifa. This continues until 8 marks are completed, arriving at one of the 256 Odus or signs of Ifa possible.

Ocuele

Table of Ifa

Los Caracoles: The Merindilogn The second highest form of divination is the caracoles or merindilogn. The Merindilogn are cowrie shells with the backs removed, specially consecrated to the Orishas and used by Santeras and Santeros. They are considered the mouthpieces of the Orishas. Although each Orisha is 'born' with a set of shells, only Eleggu's shells are used for regular divination for the clients who come to them. This is due to Eleggu's role as Messenger of the Orishas. The shells are thrown twice and the number of shells coming 'face up' are counted for each throw to arrive at a Letra or sign. For each throw there are 16 possible Letras of which the Santera can fully read 12. If one of the remaining 4 signs occur during the first two throws, which occurs rarely, it alerts the Santera or Santero that the session must be closed and the client must be sent to a Babalawo for further consultation. There are a few Santeros are now reading past these first 12 signs in an attempt to imitate the Babalawos, but this is hardly traditional and is an 'invento' (made up invention) that only dates back to the late 1970s when these Santeros first began acquiring books intended for the Babalawos.

Los Caracoles

You May Ask, "Which Is Better Ifa or the Caracoles?" Again that depends. While both are accurate and both will advise the client well on how to bring their life into harmony, Ifa is more in depth, having 256 Odus or signs that can arrive and therefore a greater range of advice that can be given. Ifa is also the voice of Olodumare (God), Orunmila and all the Orishas, which is why the Santeros often come to Ifa to seek advice. The Merindilogn has 16 Odus of which twelve can be read (if the other four signs come up they must send the client to be seen by a Babalawo). The Orishas speak in both. Which best fits your needs is really up to you. How Long Does This Take? Well, that depends. As Priestesses and Priests, we are but mere servants of Olodumare and the Orishas and the course of the consultation is in their hands. This means we cannot close the consultation until Orunmila or Eleggu is satisfied that all that needs to be said and all that needs to be done has been brought out to this person. This can take twenty minutes or two hours, as it is up to the Orishas and not up to

us.

What About Consultations Over the Phone or the Internet? Although there are people who advertise consultations by phone or email, we feel strongly that the consultation will usually not have nearly the depth it would have otherwise, so we don't do it except under conditions where there is an overriding need. For instance, how is the person going to hold the Ibo items in their hands if the consultation is done over the phone or by email? Although this may be inconvenient for the client, if convenience is the most important factor, then perhaps divination through Santeria may not be the best choice for you.